Nineteen States and Washington, D.C. Add Industry Jobs In The Last Year
Construction employment patterns diverged across the country in April as 19 states plus the District of Columbia added jobs over the past year, even as losses deepened in others, the Associated General Contractors of America reported last week in an analysis of state employment data released by the Labor Department. Association officials said the figures reflect an uneven and unsteady construction industry recovery that could be undermined by looming cost increases and public sector funding cuts.
“It is good to see more states adding construction jobs for the year in April than at any point since February 2008,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “However, most of the gains were modest at best while the losses were more severe in more states than last month.”